Shrimp De Jonghe - A Chicago Classic

This Chicago specialty is a casserole of shrimp blanketed in toasted bread crumbs in a garlic infused white wine (or sherry) and butter sauce. It can be served as an appetizer or a main course and comes with an interesting pedigree that will fascinate your dinner guests as well as delight their pallets.

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, the dish originated in the late 19th or early 20th century at the De Jonghe Hotel and Restaurant.  The De Jonghe brothers and their two sisters had emigrated from their native Belgium to Chicago only a year before the 1892 World`s Columbian Exposition, their sights set on making a living in the New World.  The recipe is usually attributed to the owners, brothers Henri, Pierre and Charles DeJonghe, however there has been speculation that the dish was actually created by their chef, Emil Zehr.

De Jonghe Hotel Dining Room circa 1910

While the hotel and dining room are long gone, the dish lives on in at least a hundred restaurants throughout the Chicago area, not to mention numerous other restaurants around the country.  As such, there are many versions of the recipe and I  share mine with you below.  It is simple to make and always pleases.  For a main course I usually serve with some type of fried rice and a vegatable.  Have a good bread handy as people often want to dip up the sauce.

Shrimp De Jonghe
[Main course for two adults, or appetizer for four]

Ingredients
12 large shrimp/prawns
1/2 lemon
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine or sherry
salt and pepper to taste
8 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup of bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried chopped parsley

Preheat Oven to 400F degrees with rack arranged to high position (to aid in browning).

Clean, peel and devein the shrimp, removing their tales.  Arrange shrimp in an oven proof shallow cooking dish.  If using for appetizer arrange in individual ramikins.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and chopped garlic.  Pour over the wine or sherry and dot with half (4 Tbls) of the butter.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Melt the remaining half (4 Tbls) of the butter and combine with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.  Add the dried parsley and stir to combine. 

Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over prepared shrimp.  Bake on top rack of oven for 15 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through and bread crumbs begin to brown.